Jen's Ink Spot

Sunny Days Challenge

2013-05-19T23:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Lil' Inker Design's Sunny Days Blog Hop Challenge! If you are following along in the blog hop, you should have come from Isha's blog. If you would like to start at the beginning, be sure to visit Lil' Inker Designs blog!

Today the design team members are sharing projects that we made inspired by the challenge photo shown at the bottom of this post! You'll find all of the details on how to participate in the challenge and the WONDERFUL prizes up for grabs (and, there is a SALE too!!).

First, I want to say a huge welcome to Taheerah Atchia who is joining the Lil' Inker Designs team! Be sure to check out her blog!

I also want to welcome two members who have been a part of LID's color team to the core design team: Isha Gupta & Alyssa Scritchfield! Yea!

I have two cards to share with you today that were inspired by the following inspiration photo:

Lots of summer fun there!

What inspired me so much about the photo was the color. My eye is always drawn to bright colors and I love pairing them together. I also couldn't get "lemonade" out of mind! So, this card (and the next one too) was inspired by those two things.

I randomly stamped images from the Darling Diamonds stamp set to create my pattern. I used the "hello" sentiment from that set as well. The sunshine sentiment comes from a wonderful LID sentiment set called Sun Sentiments.

I used the large & small sun dies layered on top of each other to create this sun piece and added a clear sequin in the center.

The Stitched Scalloped Border Die added a little sparkle to the side. I also added a piece of yellow & white striped washi tape and a piece of Matte Black Shimmer twine from The Twinery under the sentiments.

My next card was also inspired by bright, sunny colors & lemonade!

I used the Circles & Diamonds Stitched Pattern Die on the Raspberry Fizz patterned paper (from PTI). I love how this die looks even on patterned paper! For the Rustic White banner strip, I cut a strip of cardstock and then used the Curvy Labels Tag die from the Flags & Tags Die set to cut the curvy edge onto the bottom (I didn't run the die through all the way, so it selectively cut only part of the paper).

That fun lemonade cup was die cut from the Coffee Cozy die set! I love how this "coffee" cup looks just like a cool summer drink in a cup! I made the cup 3D by using a little dimensional on each side and curving the cup so it would be slightly curved on the card. That straw is part of one of the coffee cozies in that stamp set as well! I stamped the cozy and then cut that striped straw out. I used the Stitched Scallop Border die on the side of the banner again.

The green banner was die cut from the Double Ended Banner Die and then stamped with a sentiment from the Sun Sentiments Stamp Set. I scored the banner to create a little dimension and then tied a little bow with Marigold twine.

So, how about it? Would you like to play along and have a chance at winning fabulous prizes? Would you like to see even more inspiration from the team? Hop on over to Karen's blog!

All you have to do to play along is make a project inspired by the graphic above. You should use Lil' Inker Designs products as a focal point in your project but LID goodies do NOT have to be used exclusively.

Upload your project to your blog along with the inspiration photo above and tell us how you were inspired to create your project. Then, upload your project using a direct link to your post and the Linky Tool provided on the Lil' Inker Designs blog.

To be eligible to win our Grand Prize you must follow the criteria above. You have until Sunday, June 2nd at 11:30 pm EST to enter.

What you can WIN......

Two lucky honorable mentions will receive $10 gift certificates to Lil' Inker Designs. Our Grand Prize Winner will receive a $50 Gift Certificate to Lil' Inker Designs - our BIGGEST PRIZE EVER!! The Grand Prize winner will also receive a badge for their blog. Also, for every 10 challenge entries we will be giving away a stamp set to randomly chosen participants! So there really is a LOT you can win!

But wait, there's MORE! Beginning today and for the rest of May we're offering 15% off your entire order! Just enter the code SUNNYDAYS at checkout to receive your discount!

Thank you for stopping by today!! I hope you'll play along in this great challenge!!

I Quite Like You...A Lot!

2013-05-11T22:05:00.003-05:00

Hello!! It has been such a great weekend!! We had a county holiday on Friday and so I had the day off! We went to a parade, spent the day with grandma, played on inflatables & with friends, had a big prayer answered and celebrated with lots of high school graduates! And now tomorrow is Mother's Day! Whew!! That's a lot in one weekend!

Well, even with all that, I found some time to sit down and play along with the WPlus9 Monday Mood Board #9.

I really like playing with these Blanket Stitched Blooms flower stamps! There are so many possible combinations. Sticking with the theme, I kept them a very muted, natural color. I used a blanket stitch using The Twinery's Solid Natural Twine along the side of the card mat to match the stitched flowers.

Here's the mood board we were to use as inspiration.

Thank you for stopping by! Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mother's out there!

You know, while I am thinking about it, I have to share what my son gave me for Mother's Day! It is precious (he is in 4th Grade). I snapped a quick photos so it's a little blurry.

How sweet is that! Even with the typos, I thought it was the most adorable thing, lol! I am a happy mom! So blessed!

Mother's Day Celebration!

2013-05-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Mother' Day Celebration with The Twinery! My mom is such a special lady and I try each year to find a special way to honor her on the day dedicated especially to her, Mother's Day. Today, I have a card and a package to share with you in honor of Mom's special day!

I wanted to create a very feminine card for my mom so I pulled out several sheets of patterned paper with girly colors and made sure Mom was front & center. I love this mom die from Lil' Inker Designs! It really keeps the focus on where I want it to be and the font is gorgeous (not to mention that it cuts out a cute heart shape for the "o"!)

I created a window card and used two different colors of twine from The Twinery to add a feminine accent to the front of the card. I used the new Solid Natural & Blossom Iridescent Shimmer for my bow. Can you see the sparkle from the shimmer twine. Swoon!! I love those shimmer twines so much!

Here is the card when it is opened.

Now for her gift I wanted to create a special package. I took a white cardboard box that I had purchased and decorated it up. I used another new twine love, Rainbow Teal Shimmer, and used it to "anchor" the mom diecut on both sides of the box. I added a Stitched Scallop Border under the mom to ground it.

I punched a hole with a hole punch (squeeze really hard and it will go through, but if you have trouble, use a paper piercing tool instead) in each side of the box's lid and tied the twine through the hole. I knotted the twine on the back side of the lid so that it wouldn't pull through and this created a nice, clean look on the front of the box.

For my "mom" diecut, I also die cut it out of chipboard so that the twine wouldn't tear through the paper as it was holding onto the m's.

I decorated a trendy wood chip butterfly with my twine as well. I used my crop-a-dile to punch a hole in the center of the wood butterfly, colored the butterfly white & then stamped the text with gray ink. When the ink was dry, I threaded the Blossom Iridescent Shimmer twine through the hole in the butterfly and left antennas at the top.

The decorated box really adds a special touch to my Mother's Day gift. I'll have to show you later when is inside the box, but I can't spoil the surprise for my mom yet!

Thank you for joining me for a Mother's Day Celebration with The Twinery. Be sure to stop by The Twinery's blog to see all of the other fabulous Mother's Day ideas this week!

Supplies:

Twine: The Twinery

"Mom" die: Lil' Inker Designs

Stitched Scallop Border Die: Lil' Inker Designs

Patterned Paper: Simple Stories Vintage Bliss, Lily Bee Design Head Over Heels, Glitz Hello Friend

The Twinery & Imaginisce Blog Hop!

2013-04-25T04:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome! If you are hopping along with us today, you should have come here from Kellie Winnell's blog. If you did, you are in the right place! If you'd like to start at the beginning of the hop, check out The Twinery's blog for all the details!

Imaginisce sent me a fun collection of products from their Good Dog collection. If you are a dog lover, then this line is certainly for you! I decided to go a different direction with the products that were sent to me, as I fell in love with several of the paper designs, and created this bag and card set.

I just loved the colors in this collection and they complimented The Twinery's twine perfectly!

For this card I used the flag die from Lil' Inker Designs to make the banner strip with several of the fun Imaginisce's great paper selections! The striped paper includes so many great colors! I die cut a frame and strung several strands of twine from The Twinery onto the frame. The "best friend" piece was cut from another one of the papers in the collection.

For the gift bag, I started with the orange striped paper piece and die cut the banner (with Lil' Inker Designs flag die) out of the paper. I die cut the same flag banner with the polka dot paper and inserted it into the hole in the striped paper. I cut the best friend strip down to size to make a little accent piece and used one of Imaginisce's frame die cuts as a mat.

For the top of the bag, I punched several holes through the paper and then tied the twine through them to create a fun accent. The colors I used are: Blue Shimmer, Mandarin, Rainbow Teal Shimmer, Peapod & Red Shimmer.

Now of course there are prizes involved with this hop!

Winner's choice of THREE spools

{up to $48 retail value}

Imaginisce Endless Summer Package

{$48 retail value}

To Enter: Leave a comment on each blog along the hop.

Blog comments close on Saturday, April 27th at midnight (EST) and the winners will be announced on The Twinery's blog and the Imaginisce blog on Monday, April 29th.

To continue on in the hop, visit Natalie Clause's blog!

Thank you for stopping by today!

You are Simply Amazing!

2013-04-21T16:41:00.001-05:00

Hello!! It is a beautiful Spring day here in Kansas! Love this Spring weather! I don't think it's going to last too long though, there is a chance of snow on Tuesday! Crazy!!

I am squeaking in a card for the WPlus9 Monday Mood Board #9.

I love this floral set from WPlus9 called Blanket Stitched Blooms. Here I used it without the stitches. The green paper I used is new for me! It is from SU! and is Wild Wasabi (the green ink is Wild Wasabi too). I love the color and the ink stamped really nicely too! Yea!!

I used some natural burlap ribbon that I also purchased from SU! LOVE that and I'm sure you'll see more of it soon! :) That little tiny bit of pink Blossom twine is from The Twinery and is wonderful!

Here is the inspiration photo for this challenge!

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you have a great day!

A Twinery Wedding

2013-04-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Wedding season is almost upon us! Are you preparing for your special day? Today I have a post up on The Twinery's blog and am sharing a few wedding ideas using the new shimmer twine line from The Twinery!

With the beautiful new purple shimmer twine I created wedding programs rolled like scrolls and several different wedding invitation designs.

Everyone likes to be unique. Everyone is looking at how to put a spin on their big day. How about rolling your wedding programs up and tying them with shimmer twine? You add a unique twist to the program and the beautiful sparkle from the shimmer twine!

I created three different wedding invitation ideas. You could also use this same idea for a wedding card if you are already married but attending a wedding. Each of these invitations uses a standard 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 piece of card stock. I just trimmed about 3/4" off of the front of the invite and folded the back flap over.

The first invitation is super simple! I took a paper doily that I purchased at a store, and stamped the purple "two hearts" sentiment. I trimmed the front cardstock, folded the flap over and then tied it shut with the beautiful Purple Shimmer Twine. This design is very easy to reproduce!

On the next card I added a little more detail. I used a die to cut the pattern on the front of the cardstock and then followed the same directions I used for the invitation above, only this time adding in some sparkly sequins to match the shimmer twine.

And this last version, again very similar to the invite above but this time I didn't add a flap and I tied the shimmer twine down the spine of the invitation instead.

The twine I've featured today is this beautiful twine:

The Twinery's Purple Shimmer Twine. Isn't it gorgeous?!

Thank you for visiting today!

Other Supplies:

Dies: Lil' Inker Designs Circles & Diamonds Stitched Pattern Die

Cardstock: PTI Aqua Mist

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Love & Marriage

Crafty Peeps Card Kit Club #1

2013-04-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the first post for the new Crafty Peeps Card Kit Club! Today several members of our card kit club are sharing cards on our blogs that we made with our very first card kit! This kit was sent to us by Merry and included lots of great supplies! I made two cards so far with this kit that I'm going to share today.

I loved the colors of the kit that Merry sent. I always love using a "masculine" color on a flowery card!

I really liked the fun tag that Merry included in our kits!

I went a totally different direction with this card. I'm not fond of how bright that white looks in my photo but it isn't bright like that in real life! I used another one of the beautiful papers that Merry sent and the frame, pearls & rose that she sent as well.

Here are the contents of the fabulous kit that we were working with.

Thanks Merry!!

If you'd like to see what some of my other team members created with this kit, be sure to visit their blogs as well!

Thanks for visiting!

Mom & Dad Take 2

2013-04-02T23:01:00.000-05:00

Today is the wrap-up post for Lil' Inker Designs' April Release! Did you love the products this month? I think that they were pretty spectacular!

If you are following the blog hop, you should have come from Isha's blog. If you'd like to start at the beginning, visit Laura's blog. Of course there are prizes during this release celebration! For each comment you leave on the designer's blogs this week, you will have an entry into the drawing to win one of two $10 gift certificates to theLil' Inker Designs store!

I have two more mom & dad cards to share with you today.

This is my favorite card from the release. I stamped the balloons from the Balloon Builder's Stamp Set with various colors and then added the balloon strings in a light gray ink. I added the mom word die that I cut from pink glitter paper and popped up the heart cut with yellow glitter paper. The Happy Birthday is from the new Mom & Dad Sentiments stamp set.

My last card is another dad card that I used several LID products on. I cut the frame from the Instant Camera Die and built the focal image on top of that. The heart is from the Of the Hearts die set.

The "You're the Best" sentiment & the yellow tassel border underneath are found in the new Mom & Dad Sentiments stamp set. The twine is the same I used yesterday and is the Twinery's new Rainbow Teal Shimmer twine.

These products are all available in the Lil' Inker Designs store now! So, hurry on over!

Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win! To continue on & see more inspiring projects, visit Judith's blog!

Stitched Scallop Borders

2013-04-01T23:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Day 2 of the Lil' Inker Designs New Release!

If you are following the blog hop, you should have come from Isha's blog. If you'd like to start at the beginning, visit Laura's blog. There are prizes up for grabs during this release celebration! For each comment you leave on the designer's blogs this week, you will have an entry into the drawing to win one of two $10 gift certificates to the Lil' Inker Designs store!

Today we have another special product introduction: Stitched Scallop Border Die.

I can't tell you how many times a card just needs "something" and I reach for some sort of border punch or die...we all do! Lil' Inker Designs is releasing a fabulous border die that fits an A2 sized card perfectly AND it has that fabulous LID stitched detail! BONUS!! For this card, I die cut the scalloped from various patterns in the Basic Grey Hey Girl collection and stacked them.

I love the detail in the stitched scallops! That sentiment is one of my favorites from the Flags & Tags stamp set. That twine is another favorite called Rainbow Teal Shimmer from The Twinery.

Thank you for visiting today! Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win! To continue on & see more inspiring projects, visit Karen's blog!

Dedicated to Mom & Dad

2013-03-31T23:01:00.000-05:00

Hi!! This is always such an exciting time of the month when we get to share Lil' Inker Designs newest releases! Hold onto your seats because I think you're going to LOVE the products this month!

If you are following the blog hop, you should have come from Isha's blog. If you'd like to start at the beginning, visit Laura's blog. Of course there are prizes during this release celebration! For each comment you leave on the designer's blogs this week, you will have an entry into the drawing to win one of two $10 gift certificates to the Lil' Inker Designs store!

Let's get on with today's projects! They are both very Clean & Simple today.

First up, a card for mom. I die cut that beautiful "mom" out of patterned paper and die cut the heart out of glitter paper and popped it up. I don't know about you, but recently when I was trying to find appropriate supplies to use on a card for Mother's Day I was at a total lost. I just didn't have many "mom" items. I LOVE that this die (and the dad die that is also being released this month) fills a void in my stamping/scrapping supplies. And the font that this die features with the fantastic heart in the center...LOVE!

The scroll stamp is included in the new Mom & Dad stamp set which features sentiments perfect for so many occasions honoring your mom & dad. I also LOVE that these dies are less formal than the traditional Mother & Father sentiments that you often see. They are more intimate to me.

And now, a card to honor dad. Do you struggle with masculine cards? Well, I have to say that this die makes it so much easier to create a card for dads!

I die cut the Dad (don't you love that the "a" in dad is the "@" symbol!) with orange card stock. That "Super Star" wood bubble has been stamped twice with one of the frames in the Flags & Tags Stamp set. I stamped the frame directly onto the wood first in orange ink and then moved the stamp over to stamp the Hawaiian Shores color. I also impressed the card base with a striped impression plate to give it some extra texture.

Let's take a look at the products being showcased today.

They are all available in the Lil' Inker Designs store now! So, hurry on over! These are PERFECT for Mother & Father's day that are just around the corner!

Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win! To continue on & see more inspiring projects, visit Judith's blog!

It's a Banner Day!

2013-03-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hello! Welcome to another Twinery Challenge post! This time the theme is all about banners, and I LOVE banners!

I took some old jean pockets and cut them out (I have LOTS of jeans to choose from because my son can't wear a pair of jeans for more than a few weeks before the knees have holes in them!). I die cut some felt shapes and used various colors of twine from The Twinery to add accents to the pieces and to stitch them onto the pockets. I only stitched through the first layer of the pockets so that I would be able to put something inside the pockets if I wanted and so that the back of the denim banner would look nice & clean.

For the first pocket I threaded some twine through the eyelet border at the top & added accents on the butterfly & sun on the bottom corner. I used a sequin in the center of the sun for added shimmer. I also used one of my favorite new twine colors EVER :) and that is the Rainbow Teal Shimmer twine that is stringing the banners all together.

I loved using the new Purple Shimmer twine on the butterfly.

For the middle pocket I stitched around the flowers with various twines and used it to hold the buttons onto the pocket.

I used the Purple Shimmer Twine around the top of the banner to add a bow and some sparkle.

For the last denim pocket, I again used the twine to stitch on some buttons and also used the shimmer twine as an accent around the flower.

Today is the last day to play along with this "It's a Banner Day" challenge! There are GREAT prizes up for grabs, so be sure to link up your creation using banners in some way today.

Thanks for stopping by!

Papertrey March Blog Hop Challenge

2013-03-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!

I'm here with a quick post today for Papertrey Ink's monthly blog hop. The theme this month was to make a card with sequins.

I stamped my little square that I die cut with Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Mats Squares with PTI's Folk Art stamp set and used sequins to accent the flowers. I used the Striped stamp set to stamp the stripes on the gray paper and also on the red paper behind the gray that I offset just a little bit.

I also used a few sequins at the top of my card. I used one of the hexagon stamps to stamp the pattern on my wood butterfly. I love how this turned out!

This card was based on this sketch by "CAS(E) this Sketch!"

Thanks for visiting today! Have a great day!

Smile! And Wish Big!

2013-03-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hello! I have enjoyed spending time crafting so much this Spring Break! Sometimes I forget how relaxing it can be just sitting at my table and playing...for the fun of it...just because! :) Amy is always telling me that I need to play along with challenges and so this week I have listened to her and done just that.

Today I am playing along with a new-to-me challenge that Amy introduced me to called Seize the Birthday! It is a blog challenge dedicated to birthday cards and for this week we were to make a card based on the provided sketch that was feminine based.

Cameras are so trendy lately. And I love them. I have been looking and looking for the perfect camera stamp that was solid (that was a KEY element) so that I didn't have to color or paper piece them. Yes, lazy stamper! Webster's Pages recently released this set and it was love at first sight. The only downside is that they are red rubber. Yep. I caved. I really don't care for rubber anymore! I love to see through my stamps so this set was a little more challenging for me BUT...I LOVE the images!

One of my good friends is a photographer. A very good one too. She has a birthday coming up so I made this card with her in mind. She'll probably see this post though and I'll have to make a different one. Just gives me another excuse to pull out these fun stamps! :) That line of cameras is actually one border stamp, or I should say it WAS a border stamp. I cut them apart. Yep. Sure did! But, they were easy to line back up again to stamp them as a border like I did here, so now they are even more versatile. That string of twine is one of the new ones from The Twinery called Purple Shimmer Twine. I can't quit using it!

Well, if you are wondering where to get those cameras at, you can see them here and here.

Thank you for visiting today! I hope you have a GREAT weekend!! I'm planning to stay in Saturday. We are expecting snow. I am all about getting moisture, but I sure wish it would come as rain and not snow since it is officially Spring! :)

Take care!

Celebrate Today!

2013-03-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that our Spring Break is almost over! I wouldn't mind another week off, it just goes by so quickly!

So to celebrate Spring, I have a very Springy card to share based on this week's WPlus9 Mood Board.

I started with a rectangle panel die cut with one of Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Mat Rectangle dies. The photo that we were to draw our inspiration from was an Easter photo, but since I didn't have Easter stamps I went with the color scheme and the theme of "hope". I used the WPlus9 A Pocketful stamp set to stamp the pocket, sentiment and sun. I also used the green lace image from one of my all time favorite WPlus9 sets, Mehndi Medallions at the bottom of my panel that was based on the grass in the photo (shown below).

Here is the inspiration photo from the Mood Board.

I can't help but showing you a close-up of the twine I used for this card that I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more of it! It is a new twine from The Twinery called Blossom Iridescent Shimmer. LOVE it!

Those clouds are designed by my friend Laurie. You can see the whole set here. I added a few pearl sequins to sparkle things up a bit.

I am also linking this up to the Simon Says Stamp blog challenge for this week which is to make a Spring card!

Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you have a fabulous day!

Hooray for You!

2013-03-21T11:20:00.002-05:00

Good morning! How is everyone? We've been enjoying Spring Break here, wishing that the temps were just a little warmer so we could do more outside but we've had a great time anyway.

Today I am stopping in with a card I made for the Pinspired Challenge. The inspiration photo is bright colors and trendy triangles/hexagons and I knew when I saw it that it would be a fun one to play along with!

Here's my card. It uses the arrow stamp from Mama Elephant's On Target set that I just love! I popped that panel up on pop dots and left a space for my sentiment. That cute sentiment is from Close to My Heart's For Always. The panel was die cut from Lil' Inker Designs Rectangle Stitched Mat. I love how that stitch creates a finished look! Also, I'm not sure if you can see it very well from the photo, but I also embossed the rectangle mat into the white part of the cardstock and then lined the stamped panel on top.

To accent the card, I used some fun aqua sequins and a new piece of The Twinery's Purple Shimmer Twine! I have always loved all things that glitter & shine and this twine is OOH LA LA! So pretty!

This is the inspiration photo that my card is based off of. Fun!

Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you are enjoying your day!

Springy Congrats!

2013-03-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hello & Welcome!! I hope your day is off to a great start!

Today I have a very Springy card to share! I love this Avery Elle floral set and couldn't wait to put some Springy colors to paper! I am SO ready for Spring!

This card is based on this Retro Sketch #54. It was fun to work with! I am so glad I had a chance to finally play along!

I attached a tiny vellum strip across my stamped pieced and then attached the Lil' Inker Designs Mini Bow Die to the strip. I LOVE, LOVE the size of this bow! It was perfect for this sketch!

Thank you for visiting today! I hope you day is full of blessings!

A Very Vellum Birthday

2013-03-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!! I'm so glad you stopped by today!

I have a fun birthday card to share today using vellum. And...be sure to read the entire post because I have a GREAT source for vellum & a great trick for attaching vellum to your cards so the adhesive doesn't show!

This is a card that I had originally made for the January Lil' Inker Designs release and have yet to share! I wanted to make some balloons that looked semi-transparent like real balloons are, so I searched online to find some bright vellum. I found the perfect colors and I am going to share that great discovery with you in a little while.

To make this card, I used various sizes & shapes of the Lil' Inker Designs balloon dies and various colors of vellum. I stamped the balloon string in black ink and then glued the various Twinery Twine to the bottom of the balloon. I love that the balloon string can be moved around on the block to make it go a different way each time. I used one of the middle sizes of the Stitched Rectangle Mats as the bottom layer on the card.

I found my vellum at an online store called Paper & More. They have all kinds of vellum options to choose from...whites, metallics, pastels, speckled, dark & brights (which I used for this card). The best thing? You can buy it by the sheet as samples (and get how ever many you'd like) and shipping is a FLAT $1 no matter how many pieces you'd like! AND...if you like the woodgrain paper, they have that too! :) I was so impressed with their service, that I just had to share them with you!

And...one more little tidbit! Don't you just hate trying to adhere vellum to your cards and not having the adhesive show? Well, Paper & More also has vellum adhesive sheets that I purchased. These are fantastic! I cut the balloon shapes out with the adhesive shapes & then backed my vellum with it and you can't see the adhesive at all because the adhesive fits perfectly! LOVE!!

Well, thanks for visiting!! If you try Paper & More out, I'd love to know!

Have a great Sunday!

A Green Hello: Twinery Challenge #2

2013-03-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

This is Jen from Jen's Ink Spot here today. I am participating in the newest challenge from The Twinery! The theme this time around is Chevron & Green! You can find more information about this challenge and the great prizes you could win by visiting The Twinery blog post here.

I love chevrons and I see them everywhere! I also seem to have a thing for green lately too, so this was a fun challenge to play along with!

I started this card by making the twine chevron panel. I'll explain how I did that below. The chevrons are made out of two different green twines from The Twinery, one of which is a sneak peek of a new green shimmer twine that will be available very soon from The Twinery!

I wanted to show you a quick tutorial on how to make your own chevron card panel.

I started my chevron panel by cutting a piece of cardstock to the size I wanted and then cut the small circles. I positioned the circles so that they would make a chevron pattern. (I did this on my cricut, but you could easily do this with your Big Bite/hole punch or other similar tool.)

To make the chevron panel, I chose two different colors of twine. In this example I have used two totally different colors of twine (also sneak peeks of twine coming very soon to The Twinery shop!) so that it is easy to see how I put this together. I laced the first color through the top rows of circles on the diagonal.

Then, I went to the second color of twine and laced through the holes that went the opposite direction. When I had finished each strand, I tied the ends together so that it would hold nice & tight. That's all there is too it! You could create several different patterns using this technique.

Here's a closeup of the bottom panel. You can see that one strand of twine is the Peapod twine and the other strand is the new Green Shimmer Twine that is coming soon!

Would you like to play along?

Visit The Twinery blog post here for all the details and to find out how to win Twinery spools of your choice AND a gift card to Michaels! You can also check out the other entries for lots more twine inspiration!

Thank you for stopping by!

Avery Elle: February AEI♥U Challenge

2013-03-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome!! How are you? Things are beginning to warm up a little here in Kansas! We had four snow days and now it's back to our normal routines. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be very slushy as the snow really melts! I am so ready for Spring!! :)

Today I wanted to share I card I made for the February AEI♥U Challenge. I adored the challenge photo, it was so beautiful!

This is the card I made that was inspired by the inspiration photo below. I loved the color scheme from the photo, but also tried to pull in several other themes that caught my eye in the photo as well.

The elements that I pulled from the photo into my card were the denim (from the flower vase which I thought was adorable and I'd love to try sometime) and the fabric from the yellow chevron table runner, and of course the colors.

As you can see, I used the blue from the denim as a accent color and also used a strip of denim fabric for the bow and one of the rolled flowers. I also used fabric to make the yellow chevron flower and the pink flower. And, instead of chevron, I used a herringbone pattern to tie everything together.

Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed the card! If you'd like to play along with the Avery Elle Challenge, you have until Sunday, March 3rd to add your card! Have a wonderful weekend!

All That and a Bag of Chips...

2013-02-26T23:01:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Day 3, the wrap-up day, for this month's Lil' Inker Designs release! I have enjoyed myself so much this week! Thank you for celebrating this release with us! If you are following along in the blog hop, you should have come from Isha's blog. If you'd like to start at the beginning, please visit Laura's blog.

I have several more cards to share today! I couldn't stop playing with the new Circles & Diamonds products, maybe I'm a little biased since I helped create them, but I think that they are FABULOUS!! :)

Let's check out today's cards!

For this first card I decided to create a pattern that only used the Darling Diamonds stamp set. I started in the very far bottom left-hand corner on an old piece of sheet music and stamped a single triangle in Berry Sorbet ink. Then, I stamped the polka-dotted diamond on top of and next to it. Then, I took my third color, Harvest Gold, and stamped it above and next to each of the Hawaiian Shores diamonds. This created an easy pattern to line up my diamonds and stamp them quickly.

I really love the size of the new sentiments in the Darling Diamonds stamp set! They stamp so nicely! I used Gold Shimmer Twine from The Twinery on my sentiment panel. And, do you see the black scallops on the side of the card? That was made with the new Connected Circles die! It made a quick & easy border for the card!

I happen to have a love for Washi Tape right now and am always looking for ways to use the tape in creative ways. For this flower, I started by punching a circle out of patterned paper. I then took a strip of washi tape, folding it as I went around the outside edge of the circle, making a ruffle. I was sure to leave a little border so you could still see the patterned paper when I was done. Then, I punched two circles and adhered them to the middle of the flower with a dimensional and added a paper flower on top. I think it is a fun look and a great way to make all kinds of patterned flowers!

This next card is a another one of my favorite color combos! I found a cool sheet of paper at Hobby Lobby in the section with special paper and thought it was just dying to be used with the Circle & Diamonds Stitched Pattern die. This paper is a wrinkled paper, almost like crepe paper. The diamond die easily cut it. I stamped the solid diamonds right on top of the wrinkles and I love the texture that it added.

I'm going to have to try this paper with some of my other dies as well. It is such an easy way to add texture and interest to a card and the diamonds look so crisp cut into it!

Last card for today...

There is a special this month that if you purchase $75 worth of products, you will receive a free limited edition stamp set! It has fun little sayings in it, unlike what you've seen elsewhere...and the font is spectacular! This CAS card features a sentiment from that free "Awesome Sauce" set. The little planet is included in the Notebook Doodle set, also being released this week. I added a strip of washi tape to the top of it. Simple, simple!

Thank you so much for visiting this week! I have certainly enjoyed sharing with you! To have a chance to win a gift certificate to the Lil' Inker Designs store, be sure to leave a comment on my blog.

To continue on in the blog hop, visit Mary's blog.

Have a great day!

Doodle Fun!

2013-02-25T23:01:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to Day 2 of the Lil' Inker Designs release week! What did you think of what you saw yesterday? I have even more to share with you today from the Diamonds/Circle line, but first up, another new set of products also releasing from LID this month! If you are following along in the blog hop, you should have come from Debby's fabulous blog. If you'd like to start at the beginning, please visit Laura's blog.

First up today, is a card made using the fun new set called "Notebook Doodles". I have to admit that I was slightly intimidated by this set because it was so different than anything I've used before, but once I started playing with it, it was a lot of fun and now I really like it a lot! For this card, I took a page from an old children's book, cut it to the size I wanted, and then started stamping my images in VersaMark and then embossing with black embossing powder. Then, I took a fun new tool to me, Inktense pencils, colored in my images where I wanted and then used a waterbrush to make the colors even more vivid and ink like.

For my sentiment, I embossed it in white on black grid paper and then added a strip of glitter to the top. There are a lot of fun sentiments in this set.

Have a look at the full stamp set:

I have one more card to share using this set and then one more using my Darling Diamonds set.

For this card I used one of the large star doodle stamps and one of the sentiments. I again used my new Inktense pencils and a waterbrush. The little notebook die is a new die Lil' Inkers is releasing this month too. Isn't it cute? I tied a piece of Shimmer Twine from The Twinery through one of the holes.

The last card for today uses the new Connected Circles Border Die.

I impressed the new Circle & Diamond Stitched Pattern Die into Hawaiian Shore cardstock. By impressing it, instead of cutting with it, it left deep impressions in the cardstock but it didn't cut all the way through, so it gave the pattern a more subtle look. Then, I took a piece of patterned cardstock and cut it with the Pattern Die as well, stamped the solid diamond in the center with VersaMark and heat embossed with white embossing powder. The "Thank You" sentiment is from the Pinwheel Sentiments stamp set.

Thank you again for stopping by! I'll have another post for you tomorrow! Have you enjoyed these sets so far? I hope so!! I'd love to hear your thoughts! And, just by leaving a comment, you have a chance to win one of two $10 gift certificates to the Lil' Inker Designs store!

To continue on in the blog hop, visit Mary's blog.

Darling Diamonds...Exciting News!!

2013-02-24T23:01:00.000-06:00

Hello!! Today is such an exciting day for me! It is Lil' Inker Designs release day 1 and I have a special fondness for this particular release! Way back in July, I approached Laura about an idea I had for a set of dies and stamps that I felt fit LID to a "t". After many, many hours of research and emails back and forth today is the day that that dream idea becomes a reality! If you are following along in the blog hop, you should have come from Isha's blog. If you'd like to start at the beginning, please visit Laura's blog.

One more thing before we get to the release, I want to send a big welcome to our new design team member Suzanne Dahlberg!! She is amazingly talented and I am so excited to have her on the Lil' Inker Design Team!

Here's part of what I sent to Laura on the process of narrowing down what to include in the set and why. It was a lot of fun to explore all of the ideas associated with this set!

I have made quite a few samples with this set and I'll be showing you a few each day through Wednesday (and another new set being released by LID tomorrow too!)

So...let's get on with the samples, shall we!

This card really does make me smile. It includes my favorite color combos and I had SO MUCH FUN putting this together! The new Darling Diamonds stamp set includes eight different patterns of diamonds to choose from and I used four different patterns for this card: solid, wood grain, polka dot & stripes. I stamped each of those patterns in a different color...can you even begin to imagine all of the possibilities that you have with those options? Then, I used the little pointed oval stamp to stamp tea dye ink inside of each of the little ovals made by the cover plate die. I know it seems like a lot of stamping, but it went really quickly! I love the large sentiments included with this set too! (The "It's Your Birthday" sentiment comes from the Lil' Inker Designs Acorn set.) I added colorful colors of matching twine from The Twinery to the sentiment panel.

If you think that this set can only be used for feminine cards, think again! For this masculine themed card, I used a different pattern for stamping my colors (it plays tricks on your eyes if you look at it for long!). I chose to stamp the matching colors on the circles above & below the actual circles and it created a totally different effect (see examples below). Then, I stamped the diamonds in the middle of those circles with tea dye ink and left the original diamonds open. The sentiment is from the previously released set, Sentiment Flags Additions set.

The first picture above, shows the complete circles highlighted in aqua, brown & ocean. The second example shows how I stamped the circles on the masculine card above. I used different parts of the circles to create a "fuller" look. (This is really hard to explain, so I hope it makes at least some sense!)

I think it's about time to see the products in full, don't you?

I haven't shown you this border die in action yet but it'll be coming yet this week! ;)

Also, if you place a $75 order, you'll receive a FREE bonus sentiment set with your order! Just add it to your cart and use the code: AWESOMESAUCE. This will remove $5 from your order giving you the set for free. Or, if you'd like to purchase it, it can be yours for $5!

Would you like to win a gift certificate to the Lil' Inker Designs store? There are TWO $10 gift certificates up for grabs! Two comments will be chosen from the comments left on the blogs along the hop this week to win! And, I am particularly interested in hearing about what you think of this new set!! I hope you LOVE it!! I have been SO excited to share it with you!

To continue on in the blog hop, visit Mary's blog.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you back tomorrow!

Snow, Snow & More Snow!

2013-02-21T12:57:00.001-06:00

It is a snowy day here in my little town in Kansas! We have 12 - 14 inches of snow from the reports I've heard and everything is bright white! So, in honor of this snow day (and a day off from work too, yippee!) I wanted to share a snowflake card I made a while ago.

This is a bright & wild & crazy card but I like how it turned out! I used various sizes of Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Square Mats to make "frames" and then popped each one up on dimensionsals to make the layers. It was so easy to do this with the mat dies! The snowflake die is a great one from the Snowflake dies set from LID.

Here you can see the way I layered each frame with the dimensionals.

I used The Twinery's Gold Shimmer Twine for the bow...ahhh, I love that stuff!! That bright, fun patterned paper is from Bo Bunny's Very Vintage Double Dot Designs paper pack. Have to say that that is some fun (and bright!) polka dotted paper! :)

Thank you for stopping by today!! I plan to get back to my crafty table for a while this afternoon and play some more with the brand new Lil' Inker Designs products that will be releasing next week (including something that I helped design!!)!!

Let's Polka Dot!

2013-02-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! Today I am sharing a card that I made for The Twinery's new monthly challenge! I am so excited about participating in these each month! The first theme is Let's Polka Dot and I have a lot of dots on my card, lol! I started by stamping the dotted images in various colors on the rectangle stitched mat by Lil' Inker Designs. Then, I took matching twine from The Twinery (Peapod, Mandarin, & Marigold), wrapped it around the end of a pen three times and tied it. Then, I used a glue pen to adhere the twine swirls to my card.

The twine adds a fun little spin to the polka dot theme...literally! It is really simple to do too. To finish the card off, I tied a piece of Midnight Blue twine to the sentiment panel.

I hope you'll consider playing along with The Twinery's Let's Polka Dot Challenge! Each month there will be two different challenges posted AND PRIZES!! Whoo hoo!! To play along, visit The Twinery's blog for all the information.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Check this out.....a new die!

2013-02-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

Hello! Welcome to a special post today! Why is it special? Because I am one of four girls showcasing a new die made by a very special person & friend Laurie Willison! How fun and exciting!!

Today we are showcasing a new concept for card makers that I think you're going to flip over! It's called a "Card Hanger Die' and it is designed to showcase our cards as part of the packaging, instead of hiding the card inside an envelope. Laurie has put together a You Tube video to show you how the die works. Be sure to take a few minutes to check it out!

Let's hear what Laurie has to say about the die she created: As card makers, we spend a lot of time and put a lot of love into our cards. Then we get the gift ready for the party and what happens to the card? It gets put in an envelope and hidden away. Now with this new card hanger die, you can proudly display your card, as your card and as your gift bag decoration. If you love kraft colored things, like most crafters do, you have a stack of kraft gift bags ready to decorate. Just add the die to several bags and then you will be ready with a quick gift at a moments notice. Please check out Laurie's blog for more info on how to purchase this die.

There is a giveaway too!! Be sure to leave a comment on my blog post for a chance to win one of these card hanger dies. One winner will be randomly chosen from the comments on all 4 blogs.

I have several projects to share with you. Up first, a card & bag for a baby gift.

For this bag, I used the die on the side so that I can use a horizontal card with it. I love that this is an option!

I love using "bulky" items on my cards like this fun pinwheel, but how do you put them in an envelope without smashing them? I'm so glad that I don't have to worry about that with this die!

Supplies: My Mind's Eye Tangerine Paper, Melon Berry Cardstock PTI, Gold Shimmer Twine by The Twinery, Lil' Inkers Designs Mini Pinwheel Die & Stamp Set & Stitched Flag Die, SU! Top Note Die, PTI Summer Sunrise Button

And one more project to share with you today.

I know...doesn't look like much. I decorated the bottom of the bag with some washi tape that I've collected. There is a tiny little blue stamp to the left that says "Pull Here". That rolled "blob" in the middle is a scroll and has a twine handle wrapped through it with a button pull. When the recipient pulls on it...

...it starts to unroll a secret message. This one happens to be for a birthday, but you could use it for any occasion such as Christmas, graduation, Valentine's Day, Mother's & Father's Day, etc...

Keep on pulling and an even bigger scene is revealed.

Here is a closeup of the pull tab and button. I threaded two colors of twine by The Twinery (Mandarin & Caribbean) through the button holes and tied them together in a bow. You're not quite done pulling though...

...keep pulling and you find a special gift that anyone would love to receive...money! Now, if you are like me, you LOVE to receive money or gift cards as a gift but hate to give them. They just aren't fun to give! They are boring and seem so impersonal! BUT...this spices things up a little. This was inspired by a gift that my mother-in-law gives my son each Christmas. She likes to give him cash but tries to find a creative way to gift it.

If you're curious how the scroll stays inside the bag, I put adhesive on the end of the patterned paper and rolled it around an old, round clothespin. It's light enough that it won't tear the paper but is heavy enough to keep the scroll in the bag until it is pulled.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Be sure to stop & visit the other three gals showcasing projects today. If you'd like to purchase the die, there are limited quantities available over on Laurie's blog (on her sidebar) so get them while you can!

Laurie Willison

Suzanne Dahlberg

Amy Kolling

Have a great day!!